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Alejandro Valverde was ranked the 38th in the third stage of the Tour of Burgos, starting and finishing in the city of Burgos after traveling 175 kilometers.
The stage had a flat profile almost all ended in a sprint that was recorded Nikolas Maes (Top Sport Vlaanderen).
Ben Hermans is the new race leader after a fall that occurred at the end of the race the peloton have cut into several pieces.
Alejandro is now third overall, four seconds of Hermans.
"Having the lead in the team we had to control the various trips, we've done very well not ever letting anyone the opportunity to open up significant gaps.
It was a stage of much air and quite nervous but without the fall occurred in the last two kilometers, it would obviously all finished with a bunch sprint.
It is difficult to understand the decision of the judges and that considering the circumstances, the whole platoon would have to receive the same time.
This decision cost us first place overall.
Tomorrow we expect a very important step as it will contest the individual time trial.
With 15 kilometers, is not very long, but try to retrieve the purple jersey in our team, even if the most important thing is to have it on Sunday at the podium.
I feel great and will face the stage even if he is very focused on Sunday's stage, which ends in Las Lagunas de Neila after up to five ports, which can really make a big difference. "
On the other hand, the whole corridor Caisse d'Epargne, Joaquim Rodriguez, today lost his lead in the 31 th edition of the Tour of Burgos after the day's stage (Burgos, Burgos-175 km) is over the sprint.
The Belgian rider of all Top Sport Vlaanderen, Nikolas Maes, was the fastest ahead of Alexei Markov and Ben Hermans.
A fall occurred in the final sprint of the peloton into several groups and although the accident occurred in the last mile of the race, the judges did not establish the same time to all the riders in the peloton.
Joaquim Rodriguez is now second in the standings to 3 seconds behind the new leader, Ben Hermans.
"We are very disappointed by this decision," said Jose Luis Jaimerena, director of the Caisse d'Epargne group in the Tour of Burgos.
"Today we had to control the race.
We get it without much difficulty even if we had a hard time.
Several breaks encouraged the stage but never let the attackers open significant gaps.
All riders in the team fulfilled its role to the point that at some point the pace we were imposing cut the pack in several groups.
Tomorrow we expect a very important step as it staged a 15-kilometer individual time trial.
I do not think there will be big differences but we hope to take this step to regain first place overall, with Joaquim Rodriguez and Alejandro Valverde. "
Source: Agencias
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